The First Word: Plurality

On this day – Analysis of the Census’ data continues in earnest; the sonogram bill passes the Senate, ‘sanctuary cities’ legislation is blasted by the state’s top cops and DPS finally thinks they’ve solved the case of who firebombed the Governor’s mansion.

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*The Number is 25 Million*

Texas has experienced dramatic population changes over the past 10 years according to data released by the US Census on Thursday. While analysis of the data will continue for months, a picture has emerged of a state that is much less white and much more Hispanic. The Chronicle’s Jeannie Kever reports:

The iconic image of Texas is fading further into history, as new data from the 2010 Census shows that the state is increasingly urban and Latino.

Latino’s accounted for two-thirds of the state’s growth over the last decade.

Latinos now make up 38 percent of the Texas population, up from 32 percent in 2000.

The Anglo population has now dropped to 45.3 percent, down from 52.4 percent in 2000. About 11.5 percent of the population is black, unchanged from 10 years ago.

The political implications of the Census’ data will not become clear for weeks, but one thing is clear – the state’s booming Hispanic population is laying the groundwork for a possible Democratic comeback after spending years wandering in the desert and it could present serious headaches for the state’s currently Republican dominated power structure. Still, those long term concerns have fallen into the backseat of what parts of the state will gain additional representation from the state’s four new seats in the US House because that will probably determine how many of those seats Republicans can hold; the Chronicle’s Joe Holley reports:

Hispanics accounted for two-thirds of the state’s growth during the last decade and now make up 38 percent of the state’s population, up from 32 percent in 2000. The Anglo population has dropped to 45.3 percent, down from 52.4 percent in 2000. African- Americans make up about 11.5 percent of the population, unchanged from a decade ago.

“Eighty-nine percent of the growth was due to the growth in the non-Anglo population,” Murdock noted.

That fact creates legal and political pressure to draw new congressional districts that can be determined by Hispanic voters, who account for 63 percent of the state’s historic population increase.

The districts “should be drawn to provide representation for those who are responsible for the population growth that brought those districts to Texas,” said Boyd Richie, chairman of the Texas Democratic Party.

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*Sonogram Bill Passes Senate*

Three Democrats voted for Senate Bill 16: Sens. Eddie Lucio of Brownsville, Carlos Uresti of San Antonio and Judith Zaffirini of Laredo. One Republican, Sen. Jeff Wentworth of San Antonio, voted against it.

“This bill is about a woman’s right to know,” said Sen. Dan Patrick, R-Houston, author of the bill. “Because once that choice is made, it can never be reversed if they have the abortion.”

Sen. Leticia Van de Putte said that if a woman chooses to give birth, and the motivation of the bill is to protect children, then “it’s our responsibility to protect that child once the child is born, too,” and not drastically cut the budgets from areas like vaccines and pre-kindergarten education.

“We seem to worship what we cannot see, but as soon as that baby is born, oh no, government doesn’t want to be intrusive,” said Van de Putte, a San Antonio Democrat. In a reference to conservative Grover Norquist’s comment that he wanted to cut government to the size where he could “drown it in the bathtub,” Van de Putte said, “Texas is going to shrink government until it fits into a woman’s uterus.”

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*State’s Top Cops Fire at ‘Sanctuary Cities’*

The Associated Press reports on the disagreement between the top cops in Texas’ major cities, who claim that legislation backed by Gov. Perry would hamper efforts to enforce laws:

Texas police chiefs and sheriffs visited the Capitol to decry potential Arizona-type legislation that would require them to enforce federal immigration law.

Law officials said that their departments are already strapped for funding and staggering under the load of local crime and community issues. To add what they say is an unfunded mandate from the state would push unsustainable costs down to cities and counties.

Legislators are proposing to cut funding for law enforcement officer training because the state faces a budget shortfall of at least $15 billion, but the officers would need additional training to enforce immigration law.

Austin Police Chief Art Acevedo says it would be shortsighted to require police

departments to act as specialized agents while cutting necessary funding.